WEBINAR: Getting started with goat farming

Farmer’s Weekly recently hosted a webinar on getting started with goat farming for aspiring and established goat farmers.

An expert panel of speakers joined the webinar; Antoinette Dry, a Kalahari Red goat breeder from Pretoria; Kehentse Mosimanyane, a Boer Goat farmer from Morokweng; Gerhard Lourens, an indigenous veld goat breeder in Waterval; and Selinah Khutso Ntjana, an author and a smallscale Boer Goat farmer in Limpopo, to discuss four key topics: goat breeding, goat products, mentorship, and marketing strategies.

The webinar aimed to provide practical and relevant information on how to start and grow a successful goat farming business.

The recording of the webinar is available for anyone who wants to learn more about this industry.

Meet our speakers

Antoinette Dry grew up in Bloemfontein in the Free State. She completed her BSc Agricultural degree as an animal scientist in 2007. Her first purchase of four Kalahari Red ewes and one ram in 2010 has grown to one of the leading Kalahari Red stud herds consisting of 300 production ewes since 2022. Kilifi Creek Kalahari Reds have won multiple championship titles and strive to continue to improve the Kalahari Red’s genetics as a holistic picture well into the future.

Kehentse Mosimanyane, an engineering technician from Morokweng in the Vryburg area, developed a keen interest in agriculture during his childhood, influenced by his parents who were subsistence farmers. After completing his qualification and entering the workforce, he returned home in 2013 to join the family business, Tsepamo & Co. (Pty) Ltd. This family-run agricultural company, guided by him, transitioned from subsistence farming to small-scale farming. Excelling in their Boer Goat genetic development led to Tsepamo Boer Goat stud to be registered in January 2023. The Boer goat herd comprises 70 to 130 ewes, mated by two main herd sires.

Selinah Khutso Ntjana is a part-time Boer Goat farmer as well as an author, and entrepreneur from Dendron Limpopo. Her farming journey began in 2013, driven by a profound love for goats, which ultimately led to the establishment of ‘Selinah the Goat Agri’ and a line of skincare products. With her skills in farming, she’s dedicated to educating people about goats.

Gerhard Leon Lourens grew up in Pretoria. He moved to a smallholding situated in Waterval in 2010 and bought his first four Kalahari Red ewes and a ram, which were later replaced by a startup indigenous herd consisting of Cape Speckled and Cape Lob Ear Indigenous Veld Goats. Today, it is known as LGL Indigenous Veld Goat Stud. His passion, key management processes, and high-density grazing systems have allowed Gerhard & his team at LGL to grow their production ewes to 250 on a mere 13 hectares of land.